Australian Online Gaming

Australia's online gambling policies are dictated by the Interactive Gambling Act (IGA) of 2001. The Act prohibits operators from offering online casino gaming and poker to people located in Australia. It is also illegal to advertise online casino and poker services in Australia.

Online lotteries and the sale of lottery tickets over the internet, as well as sports wagering and race wagering, are permitted and are licensed and regulated by the individual states and territories of Australia. Wagering on a sport, race or other event after it has already begun is not permitted, nor are keno-style games, scratch tickets or instant lotteries.

Most Australian states and territories have licensing regimes for sports wagering and lotteries, but many of them permit only the state-authorized totalizator to offer sports betting. Tasmania licenses peer-to-peer betting exchanges.

In December 2018. Australia’s six state governments committed to the mandate of the nation’s first "National Consumer Protection Framework," ensuring greater public safeguards and standards on interactive wagering and gambling services. The nationwide directive was spearheaded by the Australian Department of Social Services, which said all government stakeholders are concerned by "the rate of online problem gambling being three times higher than for other types of gaming." The National Framework published 10 measures to be implemented over an 18-month period.

In early 2012, an interim report was released with proposals to liberalize Australia's gaming laws to include access to legal online poker tournaments and live in-play sports betting, which is currently legal by phone or in person. The liberalization would help protect players who are already spending up to AUD 1 billion a year at offshore sites that are unlicensed in Australia. The proposals included self-exclusion from gaming sites, pre-commitment and easily accessible data on how much a player is spending. No action was ever taken on the report.